Two questions about starting rice cereal with a 5 month old

[babymagoo]

Hi mamas, I'm back for more advice.  I have no idea what I'm doing :p 

Little Magoo is 5 months old now, and we tried some rice cereal last night, just to let her play with it and experiment a little.  She really seemed to like it, and did well, so we will keep letting her have some.  My question is- How long do we let her have just cereal, when can we let her try other things, and what do we try?

 My other issue is that at this point I simply want her to play and taste, not actually need it as part of her daily nutrient needs.  I want breastfeeding to continue to be her primary source of food for a while.  I'm getting so much pressure and 'advice' about letting her start eating, and I feel like people are in such a hurry to get her eating and away from my breast.  I don't feel that she needs other food at this point, its just for fun.  And I'm feeling like its being taken away from me, and I'm not ready. Do you guys feel that, and how do you handle it, or am I wrong?

Thanks!

[Megan73]

I totally agree with you - and so does basically every child health organization in the world, which universally recommend exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months.
The usual advice is that babies are ready for solids when they're sitting alone and showing genuine interest in food - not just the spoon.
Kellymom.com has some great info on the reasons to delay solids.
When your babe IS ready, she won't need pablum. It was developed because it's all babies could handle when the advice was to start solids really early. There are better whole-foods based sources of iron.
If you're interested, Google baby-led weaning for a breastfeeding-friendly way to introduce solids.
Go with your gut here, mama!

[~Adorkable~]

My twin arguably started solids a bit late, mostly because I was daunted with another thing to do right each day. So they started playing with solids around 8 months and now at nearly a year have just recently worked up to a real sized solid meal once a day and a few finger food snacks. Besides I few first meals they have really never had purée and they have never had baby cereals.

Notice I always say solids, not food. They started eating food when they were 2 days old and had my breast milk. And I make sure to point that our whenever someone asks when are they going to "finally" start eating food.  Breastmilk is a snack, not is it a milkshake. Think of it as a super concentrated liquid meal. Once for once it is nearly Imposible to top in term of vital nutrition. 

When folks pressure you I suggest pointing out the current AAP guidelines suggest nothing but breast milk or formula till a minimum of 6 months, they it make up the bulk of there calories till 1year and continue on as long as it work for mother and child after that. Longer exclusive nursing is thought to help avoid obesity and diabetes, both epidemic problems in young children in the US.

Then when you get asked the same thing stupidly over and over "when are you going to feed them food?". You can point out with as straight as face as you can muster that you will be feeding her food the next time you nurse, cause last time you checked your boobs don't make Pepsi.

Solid food is a blast of fun with babies, keep it fun and they will grow up with a good association to family meals and healthy food.  When you do feed in the early months always nurse first to make sure your supply stays strong and their bellies fill with the best thing first. 

Food Under One Is Just For Fun!

[babymagoo]

Thank you both, I've had a bit of a hard time articulating why I feel so strongly about it to my husband, but it's good to have some actual reasons to back it up, not just my emotional reaction.  We tried the cereal just to test her tongue reflex, and we happened to have some. 

When she was born, I said my goal was to breastfeed for at least six months, not knowing how it would work as she's my first. Now though, we are creeping up to six months fast, and I have no inclination to stop at all, I love the time with her.  I feel like people are starting to think its weird though, which is odd to me.  I've been hearing a lot of "well, thats good, but when she gets teeth you'll be done..."  or "when shes a year its time to stop..." and "youre still nursing??".   Blah, Blah, Blah.  I can totally see us nursing past a year now though. 

I feel like I'm going to have to fend people off with a stick as they try to shove food in her mouth, the same way I have to stop random people from touching her (thats another story... grrr).  The trouble is they are all well meaning people who love us very much, and I don't want to hurt feelings, but I know in my gut what she needs better than anyone else.  Do you guys just smile and nod, then ignore?  And I love the idea of mustering a straight face and telling them my boobs dont make pepsi.

Is this fending people and their advice off all the time just part of motherhood?  Thanks again!!

[Megan73]

It IS just part of motherhood to do what you - and your research - think is right. As an example, DS1 is the only three-year-old I know who is still rear facing in his car seat and I do get weird looks. But who cares? I know he's safer and that's all that matters to me.
I think smiling and nodding is a great tactic but I don't have it in me! In general, I tend to say "the advice now is to... extended RF, delay solids past six months, nurse to two years" etc. Then, if they keep bugging me, I offer to send them some studies from peer-reviewed journals. That tends to shut them up!

[Filiz Dolar]

yeah girl, just relax :)

listen to your instincts, and I was like you when I first became a mom.  Before I was a mom I didnt even want to breast feed but now.. my sons 1 1/2 and still is.  he obviously eats solids too- he started on his own at 4/5 months? He literally grabbed a sandwich out of my hands and bit it! I think it depends on the individual baby but for the coming months, solids will never replace breastfeeding so if you do decide to give solids just go with your babies flow and what you think might add nutrition to her.  and like you said, not as a primary source.

And yes, its a part of motherhood. just say thats the way you do things or it works for you.  that usually works too. =P

[~Adorkable~]

a good reply to unwelcome questions about your parenting choices is "Why do you ask?"  it helps them stop and think for a second, often they are just making small talk, but other times they are being pushy and noisy and its good to make them own that.

i have twins and during my pregnancy and very day of their lives i have been asked rude, invasive and passive aggressive questions about them. "why do you ask?" helps those folks feel for a moment how strange it is that they opened their mouths in the first place. and it is is in no way rude as long as it is not delivered in a way that is.

sometimes they come right back with a good reason they asked, heck someone asking if you are giving solids yet, may be struggling with when to give her baby some, so you never know, thats why i like the reply, it works on nearly every circumstance.

"why do you ask"

[akind1]

We never did rice cereal. My dad asked once when we were eating out Thai and DS was around 8 or 9 months old when we'd start. I said, "Dad, he's eating fried rice right this very minute. If he can eat regular rice, what makes you think he needs rice cereal?" Sometimes people need to stop and think.

I will say that DS loved the texture of purees. Sometimes I'd thicken it with baby oatmeal (Earth's best I think it was, it was just oatmeal. not fortified or enriched or anything), but that's it.  We would do purees when he really wanted to eat something. Most of the food that he held in his hands he didn't really eat.  - just gnawed or gummed -

go with your instincts, they usually are right!

[Asiago]

You have great instincts.

I felt that strong pressure also to start solids from many family members, and my son was only four months old! I heard "he needs real food" over and over, despite the fact that everyone commented how big and solid he was. I only wish I had the same support for breastfeeding.

Good luck to you, being a mother takes a lot of strength I have found. Not so much for actually parenting, but for dealing with the comments and actions of everyone else.

[Devaskyla]

Check out the "White Out" campaign to get rid of rice cereal as a first food for all babies. http://www.drgreene.com/article/white-out-faq#no_obesity I disagree with Dr. Greene about the whole grains, though. Babies don't really have the ability to digest any grains until later on. Great first food for babies are sweet potatoes, avocado, banana (although it can constipate some babies), apple, etc. And if you wait until they're a little bit older, you don't have to mess with purees, either. Baby led weaning/feeding is so much easier.

[babymagoo]

Originally Posted by ~Adorkable~ 

a good reply to unwelcome questions about your parenting choices is "Why do you ask?"  it helps them stop and think for a second, often they are just making small talk, but other times they are being pushy and noisy and its good to make them own that.

i have twins and during my pregnancy and very day of their lives i have been asked rude, invasive and passive aggressive questions about them. "why do you ask?" helps those folks feel for a moment how strange it is that they opened their mouths in the first place. and it is is in no way rude as long as it is not delivered in a way that is.

sometimes they come right back with a good reason they asked, heck someone asking if you are giving solids yet, may be struggling with when to give her baby some, so you never know, thats why i like the reply, it works on nearly every circumstance.

"why do you ask"

I love this idea.  Thank you.

[babymagoo]

@Asiago- Thanks, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way.  you're so  right, the hardest part is fending off other people.  The baby is easy  

@devaskyla- Thanks, but my question wasn't really about whether or not to give her the cereal, we wanted to test her tongue reflex, and had some handy so we tried it.  and I only tried it because I really felt like she was ready, and apparently she is.  We've moved on to a little bit of apple since I posted.  Like I said above though, neither the cereal or the apples or anything else are for anything other than to play with at this point, she's not going to be obese because I let her play with some mushy rice and some ends up in her mouth.  She loved both, so we will continue with some purees at this point, I dont mind making them.  Thanks.